This one-dish meal is great for a weeknight meal or as a appetizer for a party.Serve it with steamed broccoli or a green salad.
This one-dish meal is great for a weeknight meal or as a appetizer for a party.Serve it with steamed broccoli or a green salad.
Number of Servings: 8
Ingredients
1/2 medium white or yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup) 1 cup frozen corn kernels 1 tablespoon ground cumin 3 (8-inch) whole-wheat tortillas 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cooked and diced 1 roasted red bell pepper, diced 1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans, drained, rinsed and mashed slightly 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 1 1/2 cups low-sodium salsa, any variety (we used salsa verde) 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese or queso blanco
Tips
Get creative with the ingredients: Swap up the cheese, the salsa, and the veggies, and you'll have a whole new meal.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a deep-dish 9" pie pan (or Springform cheesecake pan) with foil, then coat with cooking spray.
Place a small saute pan over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add the onion, corn, and cumin, and cook until corn starts to brown, about five minutes, then remove from heat.
Place one tortilla in the bottom of the prepared pie pan.
Layer on half of the chicken, diced pepper, black beans, cilantro, corn and onions. Pour on 1/2 cup salsa, sprinkle on 1/3 cup cheese and top with a tortilla.
Repeat for the second layer, then top with the remaining tortilla, 1/2 cup salsa and 1/3 cup cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes.
Let cool for five minutes before slicing into eight wedges and serving.
Taste-wise it was GREAT! Loved it! Big hit with my husband. BUT, how do you just eat 1/10th of it? I cut it into 8ths and ended up eating 3/8. I was horrified when I went back and added up the calories. I recalculated with the ingredients I actually used and it wasn't as bad, but it's not low-cal.
- 9/10/09
This is one of those recipes that sounds great, until you figure out exactly how tiny 1/10th of it is. I used pre-cooked chicken & swapped in lo-fat cheddar cheese to cut down the calories & fat. I ate 1/4 of the final & certainly could have eaten more. It's good, but not worth the trouble or cals.
- 1/19/10
I swappped out the flour tortilla for corn, alot less fat. As for using so many pans? Sauted the veggies in the same pan I'd used for the chicken, since I suated the chicken in its own juices, instead of poaching. Two pans, one bowl, very easy clean up.
- 1/19/10
I adjusted this a bit, using light cheese, less chicken, a bit more veggies. I re-calculated the recipe and determined I could cut it into 6 servings for 271 cal. I ate one serving, but hubby ate two. We also had a big green salad, so I felt like I had enough. It tasted very good!
- 2/17/10
This dish was okay, not really worth the fussy preparation and definitely not worth the calories for a reasonable size serving. Did lots of substituting to bring down the calories and omitted the chicken completely.My recommendation is to use the recipe for inspiration & make your own low cal recipe
- 2/2/10
This is delicious, but Trixie and Ocean Bobber are right about all the steps and pans. Chef Meg needs to hire a grandmother to rework some of her recipes to fit into the average person's lifestyle!
- 1/19/10
I really wanted to try this but after reading all the comments about it I decided to modify it. I used only 1 large chicken breast, 1/2 can of beans, 2 whole wheat/high fiber tortillas, no corn and a lot more cilantro, adjusted salsa amt. I used a glass pie plate and it came out great.
- 1/19/10
My kids liked this recipe. I used canned chilies instead of roasting them. I also used a roasted chicken from the store instead of cooking my own. I cut the time down alot.
- 8/10/09
I'm sure this is yummy. I used to make something similar called Quesidilla Pie back before I started counting calories. It looks like a healthy recipe until you realize 1/10th of the end product isn't much.... I'd probably end up eating 4 times that much. Bummer.
- 1/19/10
This can be done much simpler. Just layer the tortillas with a layer of mashed beans, chicken, cheese, and enchilada sauce. Also very tasty with taco meat made with ground turkey.
- 11/12/10
Just reading this turns me off from making it. One is too fussy. Too many pans and bowls and fussing doing this and that. Another is just how big of a portion do I get? 10 servings! You are kidding. I need something with volume but low cal.
- 1/21/10
Delicious! Used cut up leftover chicken breast, canned chilies (major time saver); more enchilada sauce, and just did layers in a glass pie pan. Much easier....thanks to many suggestions from other members! Note: recipe mentions "appeitizer"..that explains portion size.
- 7/24/11
A LOT of prep/cooking time made this a lower rating. Its easier to just cook the pepper, corn, and onion together in the same pan as the chicken to save time. Green chilis instead of roasted are good too. Tasty but without shortcuts, not worth the hassle. 10 servings is too much, leaves you hungry.
- 3/25/11
This seems incredibly difficult to make. So many steps, so many techniques that are way beyond my skill level. I'm not even interested in attempting this.
- 9/1/09
I'm giving this dish a lower rating due to the extreme work involved in prep and the tiny portion that's within a reasonable caloric range. I make a similar dish using just one pan, use very little cheese, and it makes a satisfying entree.
- 9/28/10
This was great. I omitted the fennel seed since I didn't have it on hand, and I used corn tortillas, less cheese and only two chicken breasts to cut down on the calorie count. I ate 1/8 instead of 1/10, and it was filling. It did take quite a bit of time to prep though, but it was delicious.
- 1/31/10
This sounded delicious but serving is too small and would not satisfy normal hunger. Eating more would be out of the question as I am only allowed 1200 daily. Thanks anyway.
- 1/21/10
This was great! I used medium salsa and it was JUST spicy enough. The fennel and cumin gave it a wonderful well rounded flavor. I question whether it can feed 10 though and the steps in the recipe are a smidge difficult to follow too. It takes a good chunk of time to make, but is totally worth it!
- 10/23/09
I made this recipe last night!! It was very very good. My family loved it and they don't mind having the same thing the next night - so I have plenty for dinner tonight and all I have to do is heat it up!! Thank you!
- 1/26/10
This is awesome and so easy to make. I used the leftover chicken from a store bought one. It is not difficult to make. A little more time-consuming than some may desire. But well worth the effort!
- 1/19/10
Maybe I'm lazy, but that just seems like an awful lot of prep work/dirtying pans, especially for just one person in my house. However, it sounds good, so maybe I'll see what I can find pre made/cooked to add.
- 1/19/10
This took me almost 45 minutes to prepare (not 10). Although it is still delicious! I cut it into 1/8ths, so each serving is actually 1.25 servings for calorie calculations. My husband was a huge fan too.
- 10/5/12
Like others have said, not really low cal except as a very small portion size, didn't really think it tasted that special for all the prep that went into it. I would guess the salsa and enchilada sauce would make a difference--mine were the national brands my grocery had, but nothing special.
- 1/29/12
I make something similar to this, but it requires WAY fewer steps and it had a heartier portion. This recipe's calorie count is ridiculous because no one is going to only eat 1/10th of this! Flavor combinations are spot on. Cut out the corn and use corn tortillas instead of flour ones!
- 9/3/11
Very good recipe! The portion is small, but to those out there making so many comments on it...remember it's only suppost to be part of your meal. This is only suppost to be 1/4 of your plate not bigger. So ifyou plan on eating it alone, this isn't for you! Too many cals! :)
- 8/16/11
I didn't have a springform pan, so I just used a regular 9" cakepan. It was a tad too much for that, but no complaints on flavor or taste. A lot of prep, but well worth it. Yum!
- 4/5/11
I made this for guests and served with crudite (veggies & dip) appetizer and a big tossed salad. Serving size was just right. Great Mexican restaurant flavor without the calories.
- 2/28/10
My husband really like this and it was pretty easy to make too. The hardest part was cutting the pieces out to serve -which was messy but not hard. I sauted all the fillings together in a pan first just to make it easier on myself and took out the 30 min bake portion. Easier and fast, still good!
- 1/26/10
this was delicious. it was spicy, but just enough. husband started with a small serving then went back for seconds once he realized how good it was. will make again for sure.
- 8/22/09
I really liked this a lot! It took a bit of work to prepare and I think I'd make it spicier, but as a whole I liked it. You do have to watch that portion control however.
- 3/4/13
I was going to add this to my recipe box but I'm concerned about being able to get the portions right. How do you divide 3 enchilda's into 10 pieces? That doesn't even make sense.
- 2/22/13
Reply from CHEF_MEG(2/25/13) Think outside the box of a pie- cut 5 equal lines then one line down the center for 10 equal cuts. Envision a grate to a outside grill. Hope this helps. Chef Meg
This was very tasty. The tortilla shells turned kinda gooey. I think I might try just cooking all the filling together and then adding that to an uncooked shell. Rather than salsa, i used a can of Rotel which gave it a little spark. This recipe definitely has potential.
- 1/22/13
Loved the spices and herb flavors! I'm allergic to corn, so that wasn't included - no loss. We also used no more than 1/4 cup of onion due to heartburn issues. I used roasted red peppers from a jar (in the condiment section of the store) and saved some time. Also used pre-cooked chicken. Yum!!
- 12/16/12
I would love this receipe, but my family is so picky, that I would have to eat the whole thing my self. I think I will bring this recipe to my cooking class in October. Sounds like it will be yummy. Thanks
- 9/28/12
I left out the corn (allergies), substituted low-fat cheese, and didn't use the cilantro (husband doesn't like it), but everything else stayed the same. Delicious!!!
- 9/28/12
I use corn tortillas, rotisserie chicken. Roast peppers, onions, in oven, add the con last 10 minutes. Layer it in pan with sauce, don't always add salsa, Maybe jalapeno peppers, black olives. Top with cheese. It's one of the easiest meals to fix.Sometimes leave out corn. Too many carbs with beans.
- 9/28/12
The recipie states this is good for a weeknight MEAL or an appetizer. This is similar to a recipie I already have that I do not make because it is high in calories due to the cheese and tortillas. I would have loved a recipie that had more veggies and a taste alternative to cheese.
- 9/28/12
We all loved this dish, even the boys, but I would plan to divide it to 8 servings instead of 10 for a meal. Flavor is divine. A sort of complicated recipe the first time, but much easier the 2nd time around. Definitely a saver at my house.
- 2/8/12
loved t his....but I agree with Carrie. It's almost impossible to just eat 1/10th......*grin* still, if it is a special occasion dish, I think it's worth it....:0
- 1/28/12
Made the mixture using only 2 pans. Mixed the cook chicken and all ingredients and wrapped it in lettuce instead of a FLOUR (high carb low nutrition) wrapper. Served the leftovers on salad with a FEW low card tortilla chips. The mixture tastes GREAT!
- 1/4/12
Please number the steps; it is hard to read in one big block of text. "Springform" pans aren't that common...9x9 9x13 etc are
Anyway, I will try adapting some of the ideas from this into the enchilada casserole I already figured out how to make as it is lower calorie.
- 12/7/11
Used 8oz cooked chix; 4 oz Gruyere & 2oz cheddar; jar roasted red peppers for ease; Fiber One 80 calorie wraps. Family thought recipe was incredible, esp. at 251 calories/serving. Followed sparker suggestion & served it w/salad.
- 11/23/11
Sounds great but its not practical for two people. How many people cook for 10? How many people wind up eating 2 or 3 servings and sabotaging their food plan? Its easy to double a recipe, far harder to cut one down from 10 servings to 2 or 4. Please more recipes not geared for a crowd.
- 9/28/11
Haven't tried but I love mexican food. You could make this for 2 by using just 2 tortillas, one large chicken breast, half the beans, peppers, onion, nix the corn and use salsa and half the enchilada sauce. It would make kind of a quesedailla.
- 8/31/11
This reminds me of Mexican Lasagne -- and that was delicious! I think I'd rather grill the chicken breasts than poach them but either way would still make this a treat.
- 8/6/11
I haven't tried it but it seems to me that if you tried it and loved it but the portion was too small, you could use some of the other suggestions for reducing calories. Also add a large veggie salad with a low calorie dessing and other side dishes of low cal veggies if you still need more food.
- 7/30/11
To simplify this, why preroast pepper and cook corn, its going to bake for 30 min. I just took these proportions, layered it and popped it in the oven, and used corn tortillas for gluten free. (add cilantro, takes 2 secs and it adds more taste than all that fussing.
- 6/22/11
I mixed the corn mixture, black beans, cooked chicken, and pepper together before arranging, since they all mix together in each layer anyway. I then used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella (lower cal) for the cheese, and it was deeeelicious! ALSO, char the pepper right on the stove burner (gas).
- 6/20/11
i loved this, and for mexican food it is light & helthy! i cut it in 6, and it made a filling lunch, and fit ok in my 1300 cals/day. as for the fuss, i honestly don't know what u ppl are used with, because in my opinion this is one of the simplest recipes ever. cleanup took 5 mins!
- 4/2/11